FALL RIVER — For the past five months, a mother and her two boys have been sleeping on the floor in their third-floor apartment on John Street. The family not only had nowhere to sleep, but no comfortable place to sit, and no kitchen table for the kids to eat dinner and do their homework.

Living this way may sound like an isolated incident that only happens to very poor people, but families living in empty apartments happens a lot more than most may think.

My Brother’s Keeper, a Christian ministry that got its start in Taunton when founders and city residents Jim and Terry Orcutt started collecting donations for the needy, is helping to turn houses into homes in the Fall River area. The organization picks up gently used furniture and donates it to families in need.

Since the Dartmouth branch of My Brother’s Keeper opened in July, it has delivered furniture to 378 households in Fall River, for a total of 1,100 people, including seven families outside the city.

Josh Smith, director of the facility, said the organization started in Easton and opened its second location in Dartmouth, specifically to help those in need in the Fall River and New Bedford areas.

The new Dartmouth branch consists of a warehouse filled with donated items, and offices upstairs. Stored is everything from refrigerators to beds, all donated by people, as well as businesses.

My Brother’s Keeper had a goal of helping 250 Fall River households in the first year, and instead is expecting to complete 450 deliveries by its first anniversary.

Smith said they often get referrals from other charitable organizations who may give clothing or food to those in need, but not furniture.

“It’s a service we are able to provide,” Smith said.

A house full of furniture arrived to the John Street apartment Thursday afternoon. Three beds. Two bureaus. A couch and recliner. A kitchen table with four chairs. And to make life more comfortable, My Brother’s Keeper also brought the family sheets and blankets, all washed and packed in plastic bags tied with bows, a box of clean, wrapped dishes and lamps.

“Within an hour, an empty apartment looks like a home,” Smith said.

Smith said some families are simply out of money once they get into an apartment and don’t have the funds for furnishings.

“Just to get the key, they have to pay first and last month’s rent,” Smith said. “They need everything.”

Smith said families have a variety of stories that have led them to living without many possessions. Some have been homeless, either on the streets, or in local motels being used as shelters by the state. For others, it’s a first apartment. Some need only a crib because a new baby is on the way. Others have lost all their furniture due to bed bugs.

Page 2 of 2 - “Our hope is they hear of us and call us,” Smith said.

My Brother’s Keeper employs two full-time employees. It relies on a band of about 400 volunteers who act as movers, picking up furniture donations and delivering furniture to people in need.

Many of its volunteers come from local schools, about 120 of them from Bishop Stang in Dartmouth, as well as from Bishop Connolly in Fall River, and another 20 or so schools and colleges like Portsmouth Abbey, Tabor Academy, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and more.

Smith said student volunteers who often come from “privileged” homes learn about real life when delivering furniture to those in need. They also learn not to judge people and to show respect, regardless of their circumstances.

“It’s hard to see,” said Jocelyn Chace, a senior at Bishop Connolly. “You’re sheltered with your everyday life. You take it for granted.”

Smith said families are sometimes embarrassed or feel awkward when donations arrive.

“We’re mindful of that. We try to put them at ease,” Smith said.

He said they are sometimes unsure how to express their thanks. Sometimes, they “jump right in and help” move the furniture into their apartment.

Bishop Connolly High School senior Dariene Morgan said the experience can be bittersweet for volunteers.

“It’s pretty sad to go in and see that people have nothing,” Morgan said. “After the delivery, they have smiling faces and the house looks so lively.”

Each delivery is accompanied by a small crucifix, though recipients are not required to accept the cross. Smith said it is offered to plant the seed that My Brother’s Keeper isn’t really the one responsible for the free furniture donation.

“We believe it’s coming from God through us,” Smith said.

My Brother’s Keeper accepts gently used furniture donations of couches, love seats, chairs, coffee tables and end tables, lamps, twin, full and queen mattresses and box springs, dressers and night stands, kitchen tables and chairs, and refrigerators and microwaves that are less than 10 to 12 years old.

To make a furniture donation, call 774-305-4577 or visit www.MyBrothersKeeper.org. Those in need may also directly contact My Brother’s Keeper. Adult volunteers are needed for pickups and deliveries, sorting items, cleaning, light furniture repair and more.